Apart from throwing open the level crossing across Majerhat rail yard, the state has taken up another major initiative to decongest the port with the introduction of rollon-roll-off (RoRO) vessel, which will ferry 500 trucks and trailers from and to Kolkata Port. The RoRO vessel will be flagged off on Wednesday by the transport minister Suvendu Adhikari.
Adhikary on Tuesday also flagged off another RoRO vessel, which will ferry four trucks, four buses, six motorcycles 50 passengers between Namkhana and Narayanpur. West Bengal Transport Corporation will operate this vessel. Besides, transport department also handed over 20 vessels, manufactured by PSU under transport department — Shalimar Works.
Port area roads now majorly cater to north-bound passenger vehicles from Behala and further south, leaving goods-carriages hardly any passage to enter or exit the port area. This is when the RoRo service by Suman Forwarding Agency Pvt Ltd (SFAPL) comes to rescue for the port area and congested roads.
SFAPL is a Kolkata-based company with proven track record in handling containerised cargo and railways freight for last 40 years, with its presence both at Kolkata and national capital. “There are 1,300 containers moving in and out Kolkata Port daily. We are hoping to serve a significant portion of such containerised cargo,” said SFAPL CEO Amitesh Singh.
“As a pilot project, the RoRo vessel will ferry trucks between Khidderpore and Sankrail in less than 30 minutes time, while the normal transportation time from Khidderpore to Sankrail is no less than 2 hours. Besides, saving time, it will save roads from congestion and pollution,” said Arup Roy, general manager, logistics and strategic planning of SFAPL. From Sankrail, the trucks can move easily to national highways.
Kolkata Port Trust (KoPT) and Inland Water Authority of India (IWAI) have already issued necessary clearances to facilitate the smooth launching of the RoRo service.
Source: Times of India
